NAIROBI, Kenya – The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) has issued a stern warning to Kenyan Muslims planning to attend the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage, cautioning them against using unregistered travel agents.
The council insists it is the only legally mandated body to coordinate all logistics and documentation for the religious journey to Mecca.
SUPKEM Chairperson Hassan Ole Naado said the directive follows numerous cases of fraud, mismanagement, and logistical chaos during the 2025 pilgrimage season, where hundreds of pilgrims were left stranded despite having paid in full.
“No other individual or agency outside SUPKEM’s framework is authorised to coordinate Hajj travel. Anyone operating outside this legal framework will be deemed to be acting unlawfully,” Naado said during a Hajj planning forum held in Nairobi.
The council is now rolling out a stringent verification and vetting process for all Hajj service providers, including travel agents and facilitators.
Naado noted that every entity involved in the pilgrimage logistics will be required to sign a new code of conduct as part of enhanced oversight.
“We are developing a list of verified and approved travel agents that will be publicly available. This is part of our commitment to protecting the interests of pilgrims and upholding the sanctity of Hajj,” he said.
According to Mudhar Khitami, Chairperson of the SUPKEM Hajj Committee, the names of authorised agents will be published in national newspapers and displayed in mosques across the country once the verification process is complete.
The announcement comes in the wake of mounting criticism from Muslim leaders and the public over SUPKEM’s role in last year’s pilgrimage, which saw a number of Kenyan pilgrims left without accommodation or essential services in Saudi Arabia.
In response, the council has taken disciplinary action against seven agencies accused of flouting Hajj travel regulations.
SUPKEM said the agencies not only mismanaged logistics but also politicized sensitive religious affairs, which is “strictly prohibited.”
“These were clear violations of both faith and governance. We must never allow sacred duties like Hajj to be corrupted or commercialised in ways that compromise the dignity of our pilgrims,” Naado said.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a religious obligation for every Muslim who is physically and financially able to undertake the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
The rites of Hajj include the Tawaf (circumambulating the Kaaba), standing at Mount Arafat, and the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina.
SUPKEM reiterated its commitment to ensuring that all Kenyan pilgrims receive the necessary support to fulfil their religious duty with dignity and without disruption.
